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Food safety officials stayed quiet about a fresh melamine scare as products containing the potentially fatal chemical found their way into New Zealand shops.
The authority last night had political backing for its decision to stay silent while it tested the products to make sure they were safe. The food products might have included cereals, yoghurts, biscuits, and bread.
Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson said the authority made the right decision to carry out safety tests on food containing the additive before telling the public.
The melamine made its way to New Zealand in an iron additive, ferric pyrophosphate, imported from Germany. Most of it was for use in export milk powder made by Fonterra - already rocked by the melamine scandal in China which left at least six children dead and thousands sick.
The dairy giant was told about the latest contamination scandal on February 10 and froze shipments of milk powder after learning an additive in the product contained melamine. It told the New Zealand Food Safety Authority on February 10; the authority told Wilkinson on February 19.
NZFSA spokesman Geoff Allen said the authority was still confirming which affected products were on New Zealand shelves, and how much melamine they contained. He said New Zealanders were not at risk because the supplement was heavily diluted in the final products.
At least three other New Zealand food companies also bought supplement from the tainted batches for items sold locally. Details are being gathered on which products contain the supplement.
It was picked up in random tests by German supplier Budenheim, which alerted Fonterra 12 days ago. Fonterra and NZFSA went public yesterday.
Fonterra's Gary Romano said the company froze shipments of about 30,000 tonnes of affected milk powder.
Two tests of the iron supplement found unacceptable levels of melamine, but about 80 tests of the finished powder returned no detectable levels. Fonterra is gradually testing and releasing the milk powder in batches as it is confirmed safe.
Romano said: "We are firmly, with NZFSA, of the view that there is absolutely zero health risk here."
There is no suggestion the contamination was deliberate.A nearby flame-retardant manufacturer is suspected as the melamine source.
Labour leader Phil Goff said even if the food was safe the contamination hurt New Zealand's image overseas.
Green MP Sue Kedgley said the incident would undermine consumer confidence. "It's another example of the risks when sourcing ingredients on the other side of the world."
Federated Farmers national vice president Frank Brenmuhl said Fonterra had done all it could.
"New Zealand product is safe."
